CESC FABREGAS BELIEVES the quality of football in the Premier League has improved since his first spell in England but claims it still lags behind La Liga.
The midfielder moved to Stamford Bridge last summer as the league’s double Player of the Year, Luis Suarez, left for Barcelona to team up with four-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and Neymar.
La Liga also boasts Champions League holders Real Madrid, spearheaded by current Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo, while the Premier League was not represented in the competition’s quarter-finals onwards.
Fabregas says that the Spanish league is attracting more impressive talent but relishes the week-on-week challenge in England, where any team is capable of beating anyone else.
“La Liga and the Premier League are different,” he told Cope. “The Spanish league is more technical but the Premier has changed a lot since I left – it has improved a lot, tactically.
“The teams below know best how to compete with the big ones; beating them is more complicated. The Premier League is more competitive but, in Spain, there is more quality.
“Winning the Premier League title was really exciting. I played here for many years without winning it and wishing I could. It was a thorn in my side. Now we have won it and can fight for the Champions League.”
Fabregas’s move to Chelsea saw him link up with Jose Mourinho after previous spells with Arsene Wenger, at Arsenal, and Pep Guardiola, at Barcelona.
When asked how each coach differs, the Spain international replied: “They are very competitive, they like to win and know the upcoming opponents and how you should play against each very well.
“They are coaches who teach players all the details required before taking the field. It is an important step in my career to have been trained by them.”
On his relationship with Mourinho, he added: “I go day by day. I started out very strong, playing my natural game and trying to give my best … little by little, the relationship between him and me has improved.
“I believe our [relationship] is very strong, we get on very well, I have learned a lot from him and I am grateful to him for everything he did to bring me to Chelsea and for trusting in me.”
